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Friday, May 21, 2010

The Right Time to Launch A Business/New Writing Venture

by Dr. Maxine Thompson

“The principle mark of genius is not perfection but originality, the opening of new frontiers.” – Arthur Koestler

A couple of years ago, someone called me and asked if I thought we had launched my radio show too soon, because I stepped back and slowed up for a moment (the year I had three grandbabies born within eight months.) No, I told her all major companies roll their products out, (take action), then go back and do corrections.

How many glitches did Microsoft have in all its products when they rolled out Windows 98, XP, then even Vista? To get the lead on your competition, you have to leap and rest assured, that the net will appear.

You can’t wait for perfection. Don’t wait for the perfect time to start a business or take an action step towards an idea. Just like there is never a perfect time to have a baby, given our present economy, there is never a perfect time to make a change that could transform your life.

In the case of the Internet radio shows I’ve done, I think they have helped up the standards of the publishing industry for both self-published and African American writers.

Many things I’ve tried to do failed, but it didn’t mean it was over. For instance, I’ve tried to sell e-books back in 2000, when they were fairly new. But now I’m going to step out there and try again. This time we have Kindle, and other devices to assist with the sales.

As a literary agent, it took two years for me to get my first book deal, but once they started, I obtained eight book deals for four authors within a two-week period.

So now I know there’s a thing as try, and if it doesn’t succeed, try again, until you get it right. They say Edison had numerous tries before he developed the light bulb.

In the end, when you take a chance, you become stronger, whether you succeed or fail. It is in the process that you become a thought leader, one who encourages others to take chances.

Become a thought leader! Push your given industry to the next level. Affirm: “I am willing to take risks and do what I need to do NOW.”

All excellent points. I'm always glad to see someone else who loves the "Leap, and the net will appear," quote. It's my favorite single sentence, and has long been my personal mantra.

I can vouch for the effects of jumping in with both feet, too. While yes, it's terrifying, so is sitting back and failing by default because you can't wrap your brain around the failures that *might* happen.

With Smash Cake Magazine, the literary journal I publish, I just went for it. I didn't have the money to hire a programmer, so I stayed up every night for three weeks and learned WordPress. When I launched the site and started throwing it out there to the public, wouldn't you believe it? They responded--in droves! Within the first two weeks alone I had thousands of site hits, over 200 submissions from editors and established writers who had heard of us (and now, a month and a half later, we're standing at 400-500 total so far), and I've sold more pre-order copies of our first issue than I ever have of the poetry book I edited and have half-heartedly hocked for the past two years.

Amazing things happen when you put passion in the equation. Perfection is far, far further down on the list.

Great points. I think a lot of writers are afraid to do things because they are new to writing or just don't think they have something to offer yet. If I had thought that way when I first started writing, I never would have started Stories for Children Publishing, LLC and its many divisions, which all came before Stories for Children Publishing, LLC.

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